I’m so looking forward to this trip, it’s not even funny! Maker’s Mark, Heaven Hill and Jim Beam on the Thursday, and Jack Daniels on Saturday.

If you were on the trip, is there anything you’d ask the master distillers?  I’ll make sure to ask your question if you leave one in the comments. I’ll be taking a ton of pictures, and will report back with my findings.  (image source, Maker’s Mark)

Post from: EveryJoe

Headed South

(L to R): Master Distiller Fred Noe (great-grandson of Jim Beam), head of the Visitor’s Experience Project Jim Beam Noe (great-grandson of Jim Beam), Kentucky Tourism Secretary Marcheta Sparrow and Jeff Conder, VP for North American Operations for Beam Global Spirits & Wine.

The Jim Beam distillery is at the beginning of the “bourbon trail” in Kentucky, and has more than 80,000 visitors annually. The project will be complete in April 2011, and is expected to be able to accommodate approximately 200,000 visitors each year. As more and more people become interested in bourbon, there is more interest in how the spirit is created, and more and more are traveling the Bourbon Trail.

The Visitor’s Experience will include displays of newly discovered historical documents and images and the Welcome Center complex will highlight the history and heritage of Jim Beam.

“As the first stop from Louisville on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, we want to offer our visitors the best experience possible,” said Jim Beam Noe, great-grandson of Jim Beam.  “The Visitors’ Experience allows our guests to become a part of the Jim Beam family by taking an up-close and personal look at my family’s business in the bourbon industry.”

Crafted since 1795, Jim Beam prides itself on more than two centuries of quality and integrity, with a long lineage of family distillers and a lasting commitment to the classic recipe.  Jim Beam filled its 11 millionth barrel in February 2008, marking the first time the brand filled one million barrels in less than three years.

More than two-thirds of the bourbon made in Kentucky comes from Beam Global’s iconic bourbons. In addition to Jim Beam, The Small Batch Bourbon Collection comprises four ultra-premium bourbons: Knob Creek Bourbon, Booker’s Bourbon, Basil Hayden’s Bourbon and Baker’s Bourbon.

I’ve got a trip planned to Kentucky soon, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Bourbon Trail for myself!

Post from: EveryJoe

Jim Beam Visitor’s Experience